Universal generator coupling



w. BALL.

UNIVERSAL GENERATOR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9' I921- PatentedApr..18,-1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- w. BALL. UNIVERSAL GENERATOR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 9, I921.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. abtozweg WALTER BALL, OFYHUBBA RD, O HI O i UNIVERSAL ennnaa'roa oournme.

Specification of Letters Patent. P tented Apr, 18,

Application filed ldarch 9, 1821. Serial K0445095 9.

T 0 all whom it may concern/. 7

Beit known that I, NALTERBA L, a citizen of the United State s, residing"at Hubhard, in the countyofTrumbull State of'Ohio, have invente'dcertain newand useful Improvements in Universal Generator Couplings, ,of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. a V T T The present invention relates generally to shaft couplings, and aims to provide a novel and improved device forcoupling'the armatures of various types of electrical generators, or other parts to be rotated, {with a driving shaft. 7

The present device is especially useful for testing automobile generators, although" it canbe used for variousotherpurposes for which it is suited, and has for an objectthe provision of a coupling having novel means whereby it can accommodate Various generators and other devices, which may have gears, sprockets, .disks, couplings, orthe like, on the ends of the armature.sh'aftsior the bare shafts, thereby requiring av wide range of adjustment to enable a single coupling device tobe used, and. for whichthe present coupling is designed] I Aifurther object of the invention is the provision of a coupling. having novel yet simple means to benlamped on the-shafts, gears, sprockets, or other; similar members,

:ofifi r n ia ters; a d al i a ea for centering the extension drive shaftto ali-ne the end; thereof with the armature shaft, orthe like, to which the coupling is applied.

-A still It? is also 'anflobject of the inventionto provide such aBdevice, which is simple in =construction,1-and which can be readily and quickly applied, so as to savetime and work, .as ,well as having a wide range of applicatiorito, difl'erent. forms of. generatorarmatures, andothe'r rotary members, as well as eliminating the! necessity for the alinementof-the, generator wi'th'the drive shaft. "Tj Witlfthe foregoing-I and other objects in 'view, which will belapparent as the description pr0ceeds,the invention resides inthe construction and arrangement ofp'arts hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes ,can be' made; within further object is i the provisionv of .novel. means for the connection of the extension driveshaft with the coupling.

the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spir'it'of the invention. V

The invention'is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein r ofthe couphng device, portions being broken 'aw'ay f and" Fig. Tris a frontview' ofa nodified foi' n of centering barasf shown in Fig.4, showing the coupling member of the shaft incross section. V v, r

The coupling device includes a clamp having the parallel elongated bar'sor 'jaws '10,

the end portions of which areslidable' on the parallelrods ll arra'nged angles with said bars, andwing nuts 12 'are,screwthreaded on the terminals of saidrodsto bear against the bars 10 for moving. said bars toward one another. The bars 10, are

guided for parallel niovementftoward. and" away from one anotherfby the rods 11, and the adj acent faces of thebars '10 have angular confronting recesse s 13,'jthe[sidesofi Q which are arranged atobti se, angles With one another, whereby the bars or awslQ canbe clamped on objects lt ofdifferentdiameters,

which maybe armature shafts, gears s p roiikets, or the like, it beingfnoted' that the bars 10 can bemoved clo setogether'anda co n siderable distance apart'for a wide 7 range of adjustment to take, in practically all'drivingmembers of automobile generators..

A, entering bar15 extendsacros's the bars 10 in front thereof and at right:angles therewith parallelwith the rods tudinal. slots 16 receiving forwardly-projectingstuds 17 carried bythebars 1Q midway between therods 11, wheretherecesses 15 are located, and nuts 18 are'threaided on said,

' studs to-clamp-the bar 15, against 's' pacers li) disposed on saidstuds betyveenthebarslO and .15, thereby sp acing the bar '15 from the member 14 on which the bars lO'are clamped.

The bar. 15 has shaft-attaching means ;be'

the'armature shaft or membenli, byjloosen:

7am haslongi- 1105 tween its ends,-whicl1 canbe centered I ing the nuts'18.-and sliding the'bar 1-5 longi-.

.tudinally. v 7 g V The s'haftattaching meansof tl eibar 15111-1 cludes a bracket 20 riveted or otherwise secured to the bar 15 between the ends thereof and arranged transversely across the front side of said bar. The bracket 20 has opposite forwardly-projecting arms 21 through which trunnion or pivot screws 22 are engaged loosely to screw into a square stirrup disposed between said arms 21, whereby to permit said stirrup to swing or oscillate about the axis of said screws 22. at pin 24 located between and at right angles with the screws 22 has its terminals extending through opposite portions of the stirrup 23, and said pin is secured in place by means of nuts threaded thereon and bearing against the opposite portions of the stirrup within the same.

This shaft connecting means is used for receiving the bifurcated or slotted end 26 of a rigid extension drive shaft 2?, the opposite end of which is connected by auniversal or flexible joint 28 with the drive shaft'29 of the testing outfit. The slotted end 26 of the shaft 27 in fitting astride the pin 24 provides a universal or flexible joint of the shaft 27 with the bar 15. Thus, the shaft 27 in fitting snugly between the nuts 25 can oscillate about the axis of the pin 24;, and, the stirrup 23 can oscillate with said shaft in another direction at right angles to the plane of oscillation aforesaid. In this man ner, the shaft 27 can oscillate or vibrate about the transverse axes of the pin 21 and screws 22, which are arranged at right angles with one another,-and, in connection with the flexible joint 28, will enable the member 14 to be driven even though it is not in strict alinement with the drive shaft 29.

slipped into thestirrup 23 on the pin 24- will run itrue with the armature shaft or other member which is driven. The device is thus quickly applied, with. a saving in time and work, and is adjustable for members 1 1 of different diameters from the smallest to the largest within practical limits.

In Figs." 4 and 5, a modified form of shaft connecting means is shown, including a centering bar 15 to be used interchangeably with the bar 15, the bar 15 having slots 16 to receive the studs 17, Thus, by rcrnoving the, bar 15, the bar 15" can be used.

The bar 15fhas a forwardly projecting centering pin'30 and driving pins 31 .at opposite sides thereof, This type of centering bar is used with a flexible extension drive shaft 32 having the similar coupling members at the opposite ends. Said coupling members havethe central sockets or recesses 34 in the ends thereof, and diametrical slots 35. The end. of the drive shaft 38 also has a centering pin 36 and opposite drive pins B'Tsimilar to those carried by the bar 15'. The coupling members 33 can therefore he slipped on the pins 30 and 36, which enter the sockets 34, and the pins 31 and 37 enter the slots Thus, the pins 30 and 36 center the coupling members 33, while the pins 31 and 37 transmit the torque from the shaft 38 to the extension shaft 32 and from such shaft 32 to the bar 15'. Nith the flexible shaft 32, the armature or other member to be driven can be considerably out of alinement with or at an angle with the drive shaft 38. Either of the bars 15 and 15 can therefore be used on the clamp of the coupling device, according to whether the rigid extension shaft 27 or the flexible driving shaft 38 is used.

In order to readily center the shaft attaching means, the pin 24 is provided with a central hole 40 and the bracket 20 and bar 15 have a central alining hole 4:1, and a wire can be inserted through the holes 40 and 41 to engage in the center hole of the armature shaft. Similarlygthe pin 30.0f the bar 15' can havecentral hole 4:2 for the insertion of a wire or stem for convenience in centering the bar 15.. I

Having thus described the invention,what is claimedas new is i 1. A coupling device comprising an adjustable clamp to engage generator armatures and other members of different diameters, means for the connection of a shaft, and an adjustable connection between said means and clamp forcentering the shaft with respectto a member on which the clampis mounted and for retaining the parts in such adjustment 2; A coupling device comprising a clamp having jaws adjustable toward and away from one another for engaging armatures and other membersof different diameters, and a member carriedby the clamp for adjustment in directions similar to the directions of adjustment of said jaws and'provided with shaft connecting means to be centered with respect to such member on' which the clamp is mounted.

A coupling device comprising a clamp having a pair of jaws adjustable toward and away from one another, and a centering bar disposed at right angles with said jaws and adjustably connected thereto for longitudinal adjustment, said her having shaft connectingmeans to be centered by the adjustment of: said bar with respect to a member onwhich the clamp is mounted.

4;. "A coupling device comprising a clam having a pair of jaws adjustable toward and away from one another, a centering bar eX- tending at right angles across said aws and adjustable longitudinally of itself, means for clamping said bar to said jaws, and shaft connecting means carried by said bar to be centered by the adjustment of said bar with respect to a member on which the clamp is mounted.

5. A coupling device comprising a clamp having a pair of jawsadjustable toward and away from one another, studs projecting from said j aws, a centering bar slidable longitudinally of itself onsaid studs and having shaft connecting means between its ends to be centered. with respect to a member on which the clamp is mounted, and means on said studs for clamping said bar thereon.

6. A coupling device comprising parallel rods, parallel jaws at right angles therewith having their end portions slidable on said rods for the movement of'the jaws towards and away from'oneanother for engaging armatures and members of different diameters, means on said rods for adjusting the jaws, and adjustable shaft connecting means connected to said jaws and adjustable to cen ter the shaft with the member on which the jaws are mounted. i

'7. A coupling device comprising parallel rods, parallel jaws at right angles with said rods having their end portions slidably mounted on said rods, for guiding the jaws for movement toward and away from one another, said jaws having confronting angular recesses between their ends for engaging members of different diameters,means on said rods for moving said jawstoward one another and to clamp said members, studs projecting from said jaws adjacent to said recesses, a cendevice comprising a clamp,

a centering bar carried by said clamp, a pin for the engagement of the slotted end of a shaft, and means for mounting said pin from sald bar for oscillatory movement about an axis at right angles with the axis of said pin. V I

9. A couplmg device COIIlPIlSHlg a clamp, a centering bar carried by said clamp, a

stirrup supported from said bar for oscillatory movementto receive the slotted end of a V right angles with the axis of oscillation of said stirrup for the engagement of the slotted end of a shaft. v 10. A coupling device comprising a clamp, a centering bar carried thereby, a bracket carried by said bar, a stirrup pivotally mounted in said bracket toreceive the slotted end of a shaft. for oscillation about an axis at right-angles with the shaft, and a pin carried'byasaid stirrup for the engagement of said end'of saidshaft and arranged at right angles with said axis. 7 l v In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WALTER BALL.

shaft, and a pin carried by said stirrup at V 

